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Capital punishment for forgery was abolished in the colony in 1845, by Imperial enactment. In 1845 a clever swindler named Thomas Newman, furbished up some skins of parchment, so that they might fairly resemble old title deeds, and gave out that he had just succeeded to an estate of many Through the thousands through the death of an uncle, a wealthy livery stable keeper in London. fatuity that sometimes prevails in places where it ought not, the rogue had only to ask credit and cash and he got it. It was said that he let in Messrs. Cowie and Stead, of Geelong, rather extensively. H e held on for some time, but he disappeared, and never turned up afterwards. A well-informed correspondent writing from Geelong, has favoured me with the following :— " T h e first choir at St. Francis', Melbourne, consisted of Dr. C. J. Sandford, with Mr. J. P. Smiths Solicitor; M r . William Clarke, a music seller and music teacher, w h o kept a shop in Collins Street East; and a fourth (F. L. Clay, another Attorney ?) whose n a m e has passed from m y recollection. They were all "jolly good fellows," but better adapted to " trolling a catch " than chanting High Mass. Vespers were not sung in those remote days. Three or four young fellows—Tom Kennedy, Michael Lyons, Davy Hurley, John Cosgrave (late City Treasurer), John Mansfield, and James Reilly, determined to form a class. O n e of the party was so eager in the matter that he sold his watch to pay his share of the expenses. Their first attempt in the church was on the occasion of Archbishop Pohlding'sfirstvisit to Melbourne, when they were complimented by the Rev. Father M'Evey, on having m a d e " a precious mess of it." They persevered, however, and with the assistance of a few ladies, got on very well. After a little while " Micky M a c " picked up an old harmonium in some sale-room, and m a d e it a present to the choir. A Miss L y o n s — n o w Mrs. Dutfoy (of Rokewood), sister to the late Mrs. Quirk, and a daughter of Peter Whelan (who once kept the Daniel O'Connell in Bourke Street, near the Post Office), with a few other ladies, joined. J. Cosgrave, as well as singing, learned the harmonium from Mr. Clarke ; besides which, he had M'Donald on the cornopean, and P. Phelan, clarionet. In January, 1846, George Wise, landlord of the Richmond Hotel, Richmond, put on a cab to run daily to and from Melbourne, and give free transit to any persons wishing for a rural trip, on condition of their looking in for refreshments at his place. Two noteworthy incidents happened in February, i.e., the death from inflammation of Necromancer, an imported thoroughbred stallion, belonging to Mr. T. H . Pyke, and worth 700 guineas. A s being the best blooded horse in the province, the event caused m u c h lamentation on the turf. Mr. Peter Hurlestone settled near Brighton, where he established a mill. The engine originally belonged to the " Firefly," the first Yarra steamer. W h e n it failed here the owner worked it up into what was termed a threshing machine, which he set up near Elsternwick. Corn was threshed for 4d. per bushel. The summer of the year 1846 was hot and droughty, and during February and March extensive bush fires raged. T h e Plenty country was laid waste, and several residents of the Plenty and M o o n e e Ponds were burnt to the verge of ruin. During the summer and autumn seasons small-pox committed much ravage amongst the Aborigines, and was very destructive to the children of the tribes located on the Murray River and its tributaries. In March much excitement was created through the discovery by Dr. Jamieson of a quantity of salt of a fine quality in a fissure of a rock jutting into the Bay near Brighton. It was to be a grand n e w industry, but the whole thing soon evaporated.